Now & Later
by brandneweyes21
Summary: Santana and Brittany build a friendship through messages on the internet. Things will move a bit slow between them, but I'm all for a slow buildup. Slight Faberry included as well. They won't be present much on the forefront, just occasional mentions.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee or the characters.

**A/N:** A little nervous about posting this! I don't really write fics, but I had this idea floating around so I'm giving it a try. Constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome! Also, the messages are written that way on purpose. That was me trying to convey typical internet talk.

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July 9th, 2010

Santana Lopez found herself sprawled out across her bed after enduring one of Sue Sylvester's grueling "end of the week power drills". 10 miles and 3 hours of various Navy Seal workouts later, she felt like she was about to die. This was nothing new, however. You don't win 6 straight national championships by simply trying your best. You had to BE the best and work for it. Though she was fairly new to this program, it was a concept Santana and her fellow Cheerios knew all too well.

The only bright side of her current situation was the fact that it was Friday.

"Ughh that woman will be the death of me!" Santana said absently as she rolled over to make her way to her shower. Once in there, she took solace in the heat of the water running through her hair and over her skin.

"Hmm.." she all but moaned.

30 minutes later she exited, got dressed and sunk into her bed instantly grabbing her laptop. Facebook? Check! Tweet about her hate for Coach Sylvester? Done! All that was left was her nightly venture onto one of her favorite websites. Reveling in the fact that this was the only part of her day where she could be herself, she hastily signed into her account and began looking around for anything that caught her eye. After clicking through various topics and chiming in on several conversations, she decided to sign off. It was then she saw the notification across her page informing her of the new private message she had received. She thought about leaving it until the next morning in favor of heading to bed but her curiosity got the best of her.

**danceefreak (10:58pm) wrote:**

_Hey! :) Just came across your profile and couldn't help but notice we had quite a few things in common. I've also seen a few of the conversations you've taken part in...good stuff! Anyway, I only wanted to say hi...hope all is well! Ttys hopefully :)_

_-B_

This wasn't the first message she'd received of this type. It was actually quite scary how well her in person charm seemed to translate online. Santana Lopez just had it like that. She knew it too. It still didn't help the feeling she got as she read through the message again though. Snapping out of it, she went to the senders profile to see what she was all about.

She was intrigued with what she saw.

"Wow..." She continued to read through the sections of information, coming across likes and dislikes that were very similar to hers. Then her eyes fell upon the word "cheerleading", but not just any type of cheerleading, it was "competitive cheerleading". That just sealed the deal. Santana was not a fan of, as Coach Sylvester called them, "mouth breathers who look like headless chickens running around". If you didn't rank and simply served to cheer on your probably shitty school teams, she had no respect for you.

She immediately returned to the message still open in another window and pressed the reply button.

**cheeriox21 (11:10pm) wrote:**

_well hello there! I must concur with ur observations...we do seem to have a lot in common. so you're a cheerio too huh? that's kinda hot..i mean, i should know ;). if you don't mind me asking, what division do you cheer for?_

_-S_

Figuring "B" was either replying to her message or had already signed off, Santana ventured downstairs to get a glass of water. Upon her return, she refreshed the page hoping to see that "new message" notification waiting for her. It was. She quickly opened it.

**danceefreak (11:15pm) wrote:**

_Ooo, that was a quick reply! :D to answer your question, yes I am a cheerio! I love it! My school team sucks...ok not really, but we're not as amazing as some of the others out there. We're in division 2. I'm dyingg to get on a D1 squad though. Actually looking into transferring to an éscuela with one. My parents think my skills can get me somewhere =P so they're willing to make the move for me. I don't blame em! Haha jk..kinda! How about you?_

_oh and ps, you're right about me being hot ;)_

_-B_

Santana smiled as she read through the message. Hitting the reply button, she began her response.

**cheeriox21:**

_Yeahh, i'm pretty fast...get your mind out the gutter please and thank you =P lol. i hear ya on wanting to get on a D1 squad though. it's the best! well aside from the torturous practices, but i'm sure not every coach is as maniacal as mine. she's nuts! we win almost every championship though so-_

Santana paused remembering her number one rule when she decided to engage on this website: never reveal any information that can lead back to you. Certainly giving that much away would make it easy to place her squad/school. She quickly backspaced leaving it at "she's nuts!" and continues writing.

_i enjoy it though :) soo..tell me. you say you're hot huh? and you've got mad skillz? a woman after my heart! hahaha. but seriously, you look into any specific schools yet?_

_-S_

She hits send and receives a message informing her that her response was successfully sent at 11:22pm. Realizing that she'd completely neglected to read over her message, she reopened the window and scanned it briefly. In the last paragraph, her worst fear had presented itself.

"Dammit!" she exclaimed while hitting her head with her hand, cursing herself for her slip up. "'Mad skillz'...SKILLZ with a "z"! I'm such a dork. She probably thinks I'm some ghetto wannabe. Ughh!"

Holding her breath, she hit the refresh buttons on her MacBook Pro. As she expected, there was a message waiting for her. Fearing the worst, she hovered over the link to open it for a few long seconds.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. "I'm Santana _fucking_ Lopez, I don't get nervous!"

With that little self administered pep talk, she clicked the link.

**danceefreak (11:30pm) wrote:**

_Hahaha hey! You practically gave me that one! I kid, I kid ;)_

_You're on a D1 squad? No effing way! That's amazing. I'm slightly jealous =P lol. As for schools though, my hot self and "mad skillz" got scouted for one so far, but I'm not allowed to discuss it with anyone yet. If it all works out I'll most likely be going there! I'm pretty excited...anddd scared seeing as I would still have to tryout since it's such a recognized establishment and they get plenty of girls each year. Plus I hear the coach is anything but sunshine and rainbows! Great -_- lol._

_Anyway "S"...if I may call you that ;) I'm about to head to bed. I've got dance bright and early in the morning! Yayyy..NOT! Have a good night over there! Hopefully we can continue this at some point. Take care!_

_-B_

She almost physically deflated at the other girl's bid goodnight. She liked talking to her. Getting herself together, she quickly sent out a reply with hopes of catching the girl before she headed off to wish her a good night as well.

**cheeriox21 (11:33pm) wrote:**

_ooo...really? since you're heading off i guess we'll pick this up later! i hope you have a good night too B, and that your dance class goes well. looking forward to pt 2 of this! lata!_

_-S_

Satisfied, Santana clicked send and decided to call it a night as well. She closed her laptop placing it on her nightstand. A bathroom run for her nightly hygiene routine later, she was all snuggled in bed ready to pass out. With one last thought of her internet acquaintance, as she was deemed, she caught herself smiling.

"Yup, that was a better end to my day than expected." she thought. With that, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

**

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Thanks for reading! I hope you all like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews! Replying to one because it mentioned something. So **howaboutno **(love the name btw): I've always maintained that Britt speaks better than Santana (even if what comes out is way out there) so I figured given the time to think, she probably writes really well. When it comes to real time interacting though, she won't be as polished.

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July 10th, 2010

"Mmmm" Santana was woken up by the vibration of her phone under her pillow. She grabbed it regretting this decision immediately as the brightness of the device sent a quick pain through her unaccustomed eyes.

"Ugh!" Letting out another groan, she tapped the green answer button on the bottom of the screen.

"What?" She answered irritated.

"Why hello to you too. Is that any way to answer your best friend?"

"Mmhm..." She said, clearly dozing off.

"SANTANA LOPEZ!" Quinn yelled causing Santana to shoot up and off of her bed onto the floor.

"Jesus christ woman what do you want? Do you know what fucking time it is? I just fucking fell out of the bed 'cause of you. Are you happy? God!"

"Ok, first, do NOT use the Lords name in vain. Second, yes I am aware of the time and third, of course I'm happy."

"I wanna smack that shit eating grin right off your face Quinn Fabray!"

"What gri-"

"-don't even try." Santana cut her off before she could deny it.

"Yeah yeah. Anyway! I guess I'll let you go back to sleep?" lowering her voice she adds "Even if it is 12:15 in the afternoon."

"Yo, whatever! But nah, I'm up now." She resigns.

"Yay!" Quinn replied with way too much enthusiasm.

"Tone it down Q. You're giving me a headache." That wasn't true, but still.

Rolling her eyes, Santana got up from the floor and returned to the bed with her laptop in tow. She checked her social networks before settling on her guilty pleasure. There was nothing waiting in her inbox. Sighing loudly, she returned to her conversation with Quinn.

"Sure I am." Quinn teased. "So, what did you do last night after Coach tried to kill us?"

Santana's mind went back to the previous night and the messages she exchanged with her online acquaintance. "Absolutely nothing! Pftt I could barely move let alone actually do something!" Not exactly a lie she thought. "You?"

"Same..."

"You don't sound too sure about that..." Santana said probing further for the truth behind her friends silence.

"Well...Ra..Rachel was over. Turns out her dads and my mom are kinda close. I came home and there they were...in my living room...playing scrabble. Scrabble of all the fucking games in the world, and I got roped in. It was all right though I guess."

"Yeah I'm sure it was more than all rght!"

"Ugh. Whatever San! I'm leaving!"

"YESS!"

"Tone it down S. You're giving me a headache." Quinn said mockingly. "But damn...it's like that huh? All you had to do was say you didn't wanna talk to me anymore."

"Hardy har Q, and stop being so dramatic. Something just...came up."

"Ooo..what?"

"Nothing." She replied as she hurriedly clicked on the new message. "Hey Q? Can I call you back later? I'm gonna go brush and eat and stuff..."

"Uhh..ok?"

While trying to contain her excitement, Santana cautiously bid her friend a farewell before hanging up.

Returning her attention to her laptop, she began reading the message.

**danceefreak (12:34pm) wrote:**

_Hi there :) I'm so sorry about last night. I just realized how late it was considering I had to get up at six this morning. Ugh! Anyway, I hope your night and your day so far found you well. _

_Ps, __**1234**__...make a wish :)_

_Pps, no I didn't wait to send this at EXACTLY 12:34..._

It was a short, nonchalant message, yet Santana seemed to be completely engrossed in it. She had broken out into a full out grin upon reading the last two sentences, and it stuck with her throughout typing up her response.

**cheeriox21 (12:40pm) wrote:**

_hey! it's no problem at all. hope ur dance class went well btw :) what type do you do? I always wanted to get into it but there's like no time with cheerleading. one of the many sacrifices of being D1...make sure you're ready for all that yeah? speaking of which, you mentioned being scouted? that's completely amazing! Congrats :) u'll have to keep me posted on that...u know like if you decide to and whatnot._

_OMG! thanks for the 1234 heads up! that was so flipping cute...especially since you waited to send it =P hahaha. soo...what'd ya wish for?_

Santana hit send and patiently...or not so patiently waited for a response.

10 minutes later: still no response. Sighing she got up and decided to actually get to what she informed Quinn she was going to do.

30 minutes later

After countless breaks during her activities that found her refreshing the browser, she was beginning to lose hope. With an almost visible frown, she promised herself that this was the last time she would refresh the page. Hitting the "command" and "r" keys, the page reloaded and a toothy grin spread across the girl's features. She finally had a response.

**danceefreak (1:12pm) wrote:**

_Dance was amazing, thanks. I always complain even though I have the best time ever lol. I do hip hop and contemporary. I'm dreading giving them up, but cheerleading full time will be fun cause it'd be rewarding too. Or at least that's what I tell myself._

_Thanks for the congrats! you're too kind :) I actually spoke with the coach earlier! She wanted me to go join them for their summer workouts, but I can't! :( too short notice and the parentals won't be able to get off of work. If anything, I'm gonna head out there for a short visit next month or something. I shall let you know of any new developments though :)_

_Oh and I so didn't wait to send that last message! Ok, maybe I did lol. Glad you caught it btw. Can't tell you what I wished for though =P but nice try!_

**cheeriox21 (1:19pm) wrote:**

_glad to hear u enjoyed dance. hip hop is so hot, and contemporary is simply beautiful. i love watching those two on so you think you can dance. do you watch that? probably right? lol. way to keep focusing on the positives when it comes to possibly giving the two up btw. _

_it sucks that you can't go workout with the squad! that'd be the perfect in. i'm sure your "mad skillz" will get you a spot though. boo to u not sharing your wish though! i was so gonna tell you mine too...;) OH WELL! hehehe_

Santana couldn't stop smiling. Even after she sent the reply, she was still doing so. She hoped the wait wasn't going to be as torturous this time. With that thought, she opened another message box and quickly typed a short message for the previous intender.

**cheeriox21 (1:22pm) wrote:**

_oh! this is completely random but i've been meaning to mention this. i wanted to give you my aim sn for if you ever wanted to talk outside of this place in "real time". so you can hit me up whenever. i'm pretty much alwayssss on lol. like it's a running joke with my friends. anyway, feel free to ignore this if you don't feel comfortable with it or whatever. uh, yeah. thats all._

_**sn: canttouchthis21**_

Santana groaned as she hit send. On one hand, she really did want to talk to this "B", but on the other she hated breaking her rule of not giving out too much information.

"Whatever." She was done chastising herself. The ball was no longer in her court. B had total control now so she let it go.

Glancing at the clock the numbers 1:38 stared at her. She had been waiting around hoping that B would get back to her about her latest inquiry. A slight panic set in as the clock struck 2. Then it became 2:30. She occupied her time by visiting other sites, speaking with Quinn or some random cheerio through facebook, and listening to music. By the time 3pm rolled around, she had just about given up figuring she scared the girl away. She exited her tabs, stopped her playlist and closed the lid of her computer. Needing to get away and take her mind off of the possibility of having scared the other girl, she grabbed her phone and called her best friend.

"Hey bitch! I'm in need of a mall run right now. Meet me there in 30?"

"I can't. I'm with Berry right now." She chanced a glance at the aforementioned, only to be met with an apologetic stare. Feeling bad, Quinn did the only thing that came to mind to fix it.

"You know what? We'll meet you there in 30." She looked back at her visitor again. Rachel was violently shaking her head side to side in refusal.

"Ugh Quinn...Berry is the last person I need to see right now. I wanna relax and blow off some steam. That girl keeps me on edge man! It's all the talking. I swear..."

"I don't care San. Both or nothing..." She retorted firmly.

"Fine..but she's your responsibility. Emphasis on the 'your'. I also can't be held accountable for making her cry or something." Santana half joked.

"You'll be fine San. See you in 30!" Quinn hung up before she could get another word in.

Opting to text her friend what she didn't want to say in front of the shorter brunette, Quinn began typing.

**Quinn:** She's actually not that bad if you give her a chance.

**Santana:** Lmao yeah right! Maybe you should stay in today Fabray. I certainly don't wanna catch whatever you have that's making you delusional.

**Quinn:** Ha ha...funny. Whatever though. Just promise me you'll be nice? At least a little bit?

She got no reply after that text. She looked at Rachel whom she had forgotten was standing there and sent a lopsided smile her direction.

"Umm, we're meeting Santana at the mall in a little bit. Sorry I didn't ask you first?" She maintained eye contact waiting for the brunette to say something.

"You know Quinn, as much as I'd quite enjoy a day out right now, especially with our parents in the next room carrying on in such a strange manner, I feel as though I'm not really welcome to join the both of you. Feel free to go partake in this outing without me. I'll be more than content staying here."

Studying her features as she spoke, Quinn noticed how vulnerable and truly innocent Rachel looked. It was almost endearing. The girl had always been headstrong and confident, never faltering at the words or actions of others, yet here she was doing so. It was in that moment Quinn saw the actual person behind the facade Rachel Berry put forward. It was also in that moment she decided to somewhat take it easy on the younger girl. Realizing she'd been staring and hadn't responded, she quickly fumbled out a few words.

"Don't be silly. Go grab your things." Offering a smile, she continued. "I'll go inform our _parents,_ and I use that term loosely, of where we're heading." She heard Rachel giggle and agree with a quiet "ok". Feeling accomplished, Quinn set out to tell their parents. Five minutes later, they were on the road in Quinn's Toyota Camry.

Santana glanced at her phone. The time read 3:25. She headed down the stairs two at a time and made a left heading to the kitchen. There, she found her mom sitting at the island eating a salad while on her iPad.

"Hey mom? I'm heading to the mall for a little to meet up with Quinn. I'll be back a little later."

"Ok mija, I'll see you later." She walked forward and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"Ma! Come on..now I smell like salad dressing!" Feigning disgust, she pretended to brush herself off.

"You do not! There wasn't any on there." She stuck her tongue out knowing she had won that round.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. I gotta run though. Love ya!" She grabbed the keys to her car and headed for the door ignoring her mothers words to grab an apple or something for the ride. She mentally did a double check of the things she needed as she approached her baby, a silver 2004 Mustang aptly (and secretly) named Silver Surfer. Yeah, she was a dork but no one needed to know that. She got to the mall in record time and spotted Quinn and unfortunately, Rachel waiting by the formers car. The trio entered the mall for what was sure to be an interesting couple of hours.

A few hours and a dozen stores later, Santana was pulling into her driveway. She was a little relieved that the trip had gone much smoother than expected. She grabbed her bags, made her way inside and up to her room. As she dropped the bags, her phone started going off.

"Hey Q, you made it home?" She asked with genuine concern. It's been a thing of hers to request her friends inform her upon arriving home unscathed.

"Yup! We just got here and the rents are all sprawled out in the living room. Guess they had one too many drinks and or the movie was that boring." She let out a light chuckle as she scanned the room once more, eyes landing on a recovering brunette.

"Rachel looks terrified! She thought they'd been murdered or something in our absence. She made me check their pulses!" Bringing her eyes back to the other girl, she saw her cheeks flush a light pink.

"It was an honest mistake Quinn! They were just laying there! What was I supposed to assume?" Rachel was trying to defend herself.

"That they were sleeping? Like a normal person? Seriously..do you know where we live? Nothing that exciting would ever happen here." Rolling her eyes she quietly began walking towards the staircase with Rachel in tow. They made it Quinn's room shortly after.

"Exciting? There is nothing remotely exciting about the thought of a mass murder, Quinn. Unless of course you're some sort of sociopath!" Rachel's eyes bulged out a bit upon that thought, and she quietly began planning her escape route.

"Relax Berry, I'm not that crazy!" She watched as the girl visible calmed. "Besides, you wouldn't be on my list" With that she winked at the girl and turned to sit on her bed facing Rachel. She was shaken from her transfixed position by Santana yelling in her ear that she was still on the phone.

"Holy shit! Sorry San." It was her turn to blush. "Why didn't you hang up?"

"And miss the little flirt fest you're putting on over there? NOPE!" She was clearly amused.

"I hate you."

"I love you too! Anyway, I'm gonna get going. I'll see you later. Enjoy your lover until then!" She ended the call knowing that she had just ticked off her best friend. She got a text not too long after hanging up.

**Quinn:** Fuck U Lopez!

Yup, she had done just that. Quinn was pissed.

**Santana:** No thanks! I'll leave Berry to that ;)

**Quinn:** You're impossible, you know that?

**Santana:** Heck yeah! That's why u love me :)

**Quinn:** Sure...keep telling yourself that.

**Santana:** Only because u believe it =P go be a host tho. I'll see u in a few hrs. Love ya loser!

Santana threw her phone on her bed and followed by herself. The shopping trip had been just what she needed. Her mind was cleared and she stopped fussing over not hearing back from B. Kind of that is.

She reached for her computer and went straight to check her messages. She almost squealed when she saw that the girl had written back. She opened it up and her eyes began scanning the lines.

**danceefreak (6:58pm) wrote:**

_Ugh! So completely sorry about earlier (again)..I had to run out to take care of something. I guess I'll try to catch you on aim at some point? =) Btw, you didn't have to be all shy about it! Of course I wouldn't mind silly! Anyway, hope you're having a good day over there. Ttyl!_

Santana looked at the time the message was sent and realized it was about 10 minutes ago. Thinking the girl would still be online, she hurriedly clicked on the aim icon only to see that she was already signed on thanks to the auto-sign on feature. All she had to do now was wait and hope that she got an IM from the right person. Not even a minute later, she did.

**danceefreak: **i can't touch you huh?

**danceefreak: **cute..almost as cute as you being scared about this whole aim thing...

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**A/N #2:** So this chapter was my baby! It's about twice as long as the first and I just had so much fun writing it. I was kinda scared of writing dialogues and such, but I like how it turned out! Note about the length of these things...I never really know how long I'm gonna keep going for. It also kind of depends on the ending of each chapter that I have planned out. I know that detail before I write each one. Anyway! Thanks again for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine!

* * *

Mouth agape in shock at the bravery of this girl, Santana found herself staring at the screen. She could not believe her antics were being one upped; it was always _her_ doing the flirting, smooth talking and wooing. Her mind wandered at the last word. Certainly it was far too early for there to be any of that going on, but it sure as heck felt like it. Shaking it off and needing to redeem some of her coolness, she mentally told herself to play it cool.

**canttouchthis21: **heyy now! i was NOT scared. Just didnt want to scare U off. and about u not being able to touch this...

**canttouchthis21:** i said no such thing ;)

**danceefreak: **oh really? so what you're saying is...?

**canttouchthis21: **that we should move on? sweet!

So much for playing it cool she thought. Rolling her eyes she continued typing.

**canttouchthis21:** so anyway! to start this convo like a normal person: hi :) how's it going?

**danceefreak:** hahaha! awww, i thought we were doing so good!

**danceefreak:** but it's going well, thanks. how about u?

**canttouchthis21: **glad to hear that :) and same here. not too long ago got back from the mall with some friends.

**danceefreak:** ooo cool! got anything?

**canttouchthis21:** but of course! shopping is like my therapist and lets just say i needed a session today!

**danceefreak: **yeah? u ok?

"Crap!" Realizing the door for questioning was now opened, Santana began to panic. She decided to quickly dismiss it though.

**canttouchthis21:** yeah i'm good. thanks. so anyway, what are you up to?

**danceefreak: **i see u like changing the topic often. noted! haha =P

**danceefreak:** and i'm just here listening to music, talking to this intriguing person on aim...nothing new.

**canttouchthis21:** intriguing huh? i'll take that ;)

**danceefreak: **who said i was talking about u tho?

**canttouchthis21:** burn! i see u!

**danceefreak:** hahaha jkjk. you're the one and only!

A small blush crept upon Santana's face. Smiling and shaking her head, she wrote her response.

**canttouchthis21:** thanks? haha anyway, what are you listening to over there?

**danceefreak:** there u go changing the subject again! =P

**danceefreak:** i'll let u slide this time...i'm listening to Paramore!

**canttouchthis21: **ahh yes! saw that you listed them as one of ur favs...nice

**danceefreak:** heck yea! they're the best. already got my tickets for their tour next month =D

**canttouchthis21:** luckyy!

**danceefreak:** yup! so what are you up to?

**canttouchthis21: **nothingg at alll. just chillin

**danceefreak:** cool cool.

**danceefreak: **sooo i just realized i know absolutely nothing about u aside from the few details mentioned in your profile!

**canttouchthis21:** uh..yeah. this is true

**danceefreak:** well i mean we can keep it this way if you'd like? sorry for just assuming u'd wanna share. I totally get why u wouldn't want to...

Santana faced an internal struggle. She felt no threat from the girl and really wanted to divulge tidbits about herself, but she was scared shitless. Five minutes later after weighing the pros and cons, which strangely made her feel like Rachel Berry, she decided it could do no immediate harm. There was no way this girl would ever know her outside of the internet.

**danceefreak:** hey you there?

**canttouchthis21:** hey..yeah, sorry bout that. but you're right. how do you suggest we fix this? -_^

**canttouchthis21:** that's my raised eyebrow smiley btw! no making fun of it =P

**danceeefreak:** awww! that's fucking adorable. i love it!

**canttouchthis21:** andd now you're making me blush! moving on!

**danceefreak:** omg! stop it.

**canttouchthis21:** u stop! lol..so how about we play a game?

**danceefreak:** hmm...21 questions?

**canttouchthis21: **u read my mind! but can we leave out overly personal info? i'm still a little..concerned...

**danceefreak:** of course! we shall refrain :) so S...get it started!

**canttouchthis21:** sure. ok B...we'll start off simple. favorite color?

**danceefreak:** hmm..blue!

**danceefreak:** what grade are u in?

**canttouchthis21:** bout to be a soph...u?

**danceefreak:** same!...was that ur question?

**canttouchthis21: **no! =P my real ques is boobs or ass?

**danceefreak: **WOAH! way to get right to it! umm..i'd say ass! tho i like a good proportion of each. i gotta know your answer to that!

**canttouchthis21: **hahaha! i'd have to say i agree with you!

**danceefreak:** hmm...what's ur type when it comes to girls?

**canttouchthis21:** i have a thing for tall, slender dancer types with preferably lighter hair..umm..oo! i love! blue eyes. pretty much put the "all american" girl in front of me and i'll be in love lol.

**danceefreak:** OH...so ur that easy huh?

**canttouchthis21:** u wish!

**danceefreak:** i do lol

**canttouchthis21:** right..uhh first thing you notice about someone?

**danceefreak:** SMILE! i'm a sucker for a beautiful smile *swoonsss*

**canttouchthis21**: awww that's cute! i just so happen to have one of those ;)

**canttouchthis21:** too bad i won't be able to grace u with it =P lol

**danceefreak:** ohhh darn! lol

**danceefreak:** are u a virgin?

**canttouchthis21:** wow..uhh no. u?

**danceefreak:** nope.

**canttouchthis21:** u lose it to a boy or girl?

**danceefreak:** both? technically the guy went first...

Realizing what the girl was implying, Santana flipped out. She thought _she_ was badass.

**canttouchthis21:** umm..pause. ur first time was a threesome? what the heck! holy shit u are fucking brave.

**danceefreak:** lmfao no! nah i was messing with u =P it was a guy first tho. u?

**canttouchthis21: **oh! too bad..i was about to be impressed ;)

**canttouchthis21:** but same. i've never done anything with a girl. i'm not out. that's definitely not exactly welcomed in small town USA.

**danceefreak:** small town huh? that must suck.

**canttouchthis21: **tell me about it. there's one openly gay kid in my school and he gets bullied daily. i can't wait to get out of here!

**danceefreak:** wow..really? that's insane. remind me never to move to where ever you are yeah? lol

**canttouchthis21: **ugh yeah..if it wasn't for my squad i'd wanna kill myself. anyway, i do believe it's ur turn :)

**danceefreak:** so it is. u say u can't wait to get out of there...where do u wanna head after hs?

**canttouchthis21:** this is COMPLETELY cliché, but i'd have to say new york or la

**danceefreak**: lol..speaking of clichés...that's totally my plan too! Prob school in ny for dance, then la for what's gonna be my awesome dancing career :D

**canttouchthis21:** a girl with ambition..i like it! just dont forget the little people when u make it big!

**danceefreak:** i sure wont! especially not you ;)

**canttouchthis21:** ahhh there u go again!

**danceefreak: **what ever are u speaking of? :)

**canttouchthis21:** i'm definitely rolling my eyes right now! but moving on! i suppose it's my turn?

**danceefreak:** lol k i'm done. and yesh it is

**canttouchthis21: **hmm..ok. gonna recycle ur question from earlier...what's ur type?

As she waited for a response, she glanced at her phone catching notice of the time. It was 10:02 pm.

"Shit! Quinn is gonna kill me!" She was supposed to meet her friend an hour ago for their weekly movie night/sleepover.

**danceefreak:** lol the complete opposite of urs! i like em shorter (than me at least), darker hair, nice bod/personality is a must of course, but i kinda like the badass, mysterious type. i dont know what it is but uh yeah...

**canttouchthis21:** OH..i dig lol.

Realization had set in that she was pretty much exactly what her internet friend had described. She contemplated sharing this information but thought better of it. Swallowing her pride, which was not an easy task for the feisty brunette, she reluctantly informed B of her impending departure.

**canttouchthis21:** tho i hate to cut this short, i have to go! i was supposed to meet my friend an hr ago but i got so caught up on here. she's gonna kill me lol.

**danceefreak:** aww i'm sorry! go!

**canttouchthis21:** are u kidding me? don't apologize...i enjoyed talking to u.

**danceefreak:** ditto :) but really..go! have funnn

**canttouchthis21:** ok. guess i'll talk to u?

**danceefreak:** of course! can't wait til then :)

**canttouchthis21: **sweet! ttys then :)

**canttouchthis21:** have a good one!

With that she signed out and ran for the door with her phone in hand returning the phone calls, which there had been about 5 of, along with a few text messages from Quinn.

"Where the hell are you?" Were the first words Quinn said.

"Q?...I'll be there in 10!" She hung up and pulled out of her driveway.

Exactly 9 minutes later, she drove into the Fabray yard where Quinn along with Rachel were sitting on the front steps. She ran over to the girls apologizing fervently.

"What the hell San! We do this every week...what happened?"

"I swear I just got caught up in something. I know you hate it when I'm late for anything..." It was true. Her friend absolutely despised things like this happening.

"What did you get caught up in?" Quinn's curiosity got the best of her.

"Don't worry about it?" Santana turned to Rachel sizing up the girl who visibly squirmed under her gaze.

"Berry" She offered with a nod.

"Hi Santana" The petite brunette gave a shy wave.

Quinn was still seething. Grabbing onto Rachel, she made her way inside without another word to Santana.

"Come on Q! You can't seriously be this mad at me?" Trailing into the house after the infuriated blond and a concerned looking brunette. "Great...now I'm gonna have to deal with this all night."

Plopping herself down on Quinn's bed, Santana mumbled about preferring to stay home talking to B as it would be a better use of her time. Unbeknownst to her, Quinn could actually hear her and caught snippets of it.

"Who's B?" She asked resulting in Santana looking like a dear caught in headlights, or their guidance counselor Ms. Pillsbury, as they liked to joke.

"Wha- uh...who?"

**A/N:** So I'm not really sure how I feel about the abundance of the actual aim conversation there is in this chapter/beyond. What do you guys think...should there be less of it or do you not mind it? Please let me know! Also, sorry for any mistakes!

Oh and thanks for the reviews/favorites/alerts! They're awesome...keep em coming :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine!

* * *

"Who's B?" She asked resulting in Santana looking like a dear caught in headlights, or their guidance counselor Ms. Pillsbury, as they liked to joke.

"Wha- uh...who?"

"Well, judging by that response, you know exactly what I'm talking about." Cue Quinn's infamous eyebrow raise. "I'll ask again...who is B?"

Santana nervously cast a glance towards Rachel, only to find her staring at the suddenly interesting flooring of the Fabray household.

"Look..can we just drop this?" She verbally offered her friend along with her best attempt at pleading eyes.

Throwing her hands up in surrender, Quinn let her friend have this one with a look that said the conversation was still to be had at some other time.

"So! Movie anyone? That is the purpose of this little shindig, no?" Rachel said in hopes of steering the conversation somewhere else.

"Yes." Quinn replied.

"Yeah...right. Got anything in mind?" Santana's words hung in the air for a moment before Rachel, as expected, started spewing out ideas.

"Well, I've taken the opportunity to go through your collection Quinn, and I must say that I'm impressed. Of course the thing that stood out the most to me were the mus-" Before she could even say the word Santana cut her off.

"Do not finish that sentence. There's no fucking way we're watching a musical." She then turned her attention to Quinn. "Why the HELL do you have those? Oh this is rich. Maybe you two _should_ get it on." Feeling accomplished, one of her patented smirks graced her lips.

Rachel, in the meantime was not amused. Nor was Quinn for that matter, and the two girls found their faces becoming various shades of red. Sensing that her joke was perhaps a bit provocative, Santana dropped the subject.

"Well then...shall we?" She said.

"Yes!" "Please!" Rachel and Quinn had shouted almost simultaneously.

"Ahem. Right so as I was saying, I took the liberty of going through Quinn's collection and I've narrowed it down to musicals, which I guess are a no? I-" Once again, the small brunette was cut off by the cheerleader.

"Damn right!" Santana added.

"May I please finish!" Earning surprised looks in return, she took that as her cue to continue. "Thank you. I noticed the fifth Harry Potter on the shelf as well, and I've always wanted to see it. Plus, I rather enjoy Emma Watson...she reminds me of myself in many ways. I need to catch up in time for the new movie in November anyway..." She let her words hang in the air and waited for a response. Santana was the first to reply.

"You had me at Emma, though I may have to kill you for comparing yourself to her." Turning to her best friend, she continued. "Quinn?"

"Duh! I do own all the movies don't I? Put it in and I'll go get the snacks."

Not wanting to be alone with the other cheerio, Rachel hurriedly followed Quinn downstairs and into the kitchen mumbling about helping the girl carry stuff. Five minutes later, they were settled in Quinn's bed (Quinn in the middle of course), awaiting the beginning of the movie.

After a night filled with watching the movie, failing miserably at teaching Rachel how to play games on the Wii, some light gossiping and surprisingly very little awkwardness, the girls decided to call it a night. It was already pushing 3 am and they had to be up by nine because Quinn had to attend church with her mom.

July 11th, 2010

It was 9:30 when Santana pulled into her driveway. As she made her way inside, there was only one thing on her mind: sleep. After a brief conversation with her parents, she headed for her room immediately collapsing in her bed. Sleep came not long after.

It was a little past one when Santana's eyes started fluttering open, and her stomach began to rumble. With freakishly accurate timing, her mother knocked and then proceeded to open the door.

"Sanny, it's time to wake up. You've gotta get something to eat." Theresa said with a motherly tone to her voice.

"Hmm..yeah..kay." Was her daughters almost incoherent response, followed by a few more grunts, and another rumble of her stomach.

"Hahaha sounds like your stomach agrees with me hun. Get up and go eat!" Without waiting for a response, she pulled the door shut leaving Santana right where she had found her.

Debating whether she should move or not, the latter winning at the moment, her tummy emitted another sound. That plus the smell of waffles, which wafted in when her door was opened, eventually lead to her conceding to her stomach. After completing her morning routines, she made a beeline for the kitchen wondering, but certainly not complaining, why waffles were being made so late.

Hours later following an impromptu afternoon with her mom, Santana relaxed into her bed with a sigh, laptop in tow. Checking her aim 'buddylist' was the first thing she did...naturally. Finding no one worthy, meaning her new friend was missing form that list, she went invisible and decided to waste some time elsewhere. As usual, she went to her favorite sites. Since her and 'B' had moved to a different, more effective form of communication, a message waiting for her was the last thing she expected when she visited a certain one. She was happy to have been wrong.

Without hesitation, she opened it.

**danceefreak (4:12pm) wrote:**

_Hey you! :) I was hoping to see you over on aim since you practically live on there lol, but you weren't on! I figured I'd leave you a message here tho. _

_So, I'm reallyy reallyy bored. I hate Sundays! Plus it's raining here which makes it even worse. I just wanna cuddle and watch movies for the rest of the day. I would cuddle with Simba or Pluto, but Simba's scared of the thunder and Pluto seems to be enjoying that a little too much. Lol can you tell how much fun I'm having right now -_- sighhh. Well this was pointless. Srry for rambling. Guess I'll go now. Hope you're having a good day over there!_

_-B_

Santana couldn't help the smile that crept up on her face. Sure this message was a little...different but she found it seriously cute. That caused her to roll her eyes at herself.

**cheeriox21 (5:31pm) wrote:**

_lol it sure sounds like someone's having a ball over there! simba and pluto? gonna assume those are your pets..in which case adorable! let me take a stab at it...simba is ur cat and pluto is ur dog! lol..very creative =P_

_srry youre bored over there tho. i'd keep u company if u were signed on =) hopefully it's gotten better for u! i'm pretty much around for the rest of the night, so hit me up if you come back on. lata!_

At the sound of her phone going off, Santana fell back into her bed proceeding to answer it.

"So...are you going to talk to me?"

Quinn's words crooned through the phone. That soft, caring tone informed Santana that although her friend was concerned, she simply wanted to know the details "just because". Santana knew that all too well. It was the same tone her friend used to get whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. Proving Quinn's method successful, Santana found herself having spilled her guts for about 15 minutes. This wasn't anything new for the girls. They shared everything with each other, even their deepest secrets. It was a rare friendship that stemmed from the departure of Quinn's father from the girl's life a year prior. Santana had been there for her, offering a semblance of sisterhood. During that time, Quinn had come to learn that not everything was as she had been taught.

With a sigh and a bid adieu, Santana returned her attention to her previously abandoned laptop. Not seeing the little running man icon bouncing, which would indicate a new instant message, she went to check her inbox for sign of the other girl.

**danceefreak (5:45pm) wrote:**

_Hmm..for someone who's always online we never seem to catch each other! lol guess you got caught up in stuff..._

_Hahaha you're right about Simba and Pluto being my pets! Too bad you guessed wrong =P. They're the other way around..Pluto is my kitty and Simba is my doggie! That was so my idea...I knew I'd trick ppl! To make up for it tho I named my bird Scuttle! =D so you would have PROBABLY guessed that one ;)_

_Anyway! Remember that cheerleading coach I told you who scouted me? I spoke to her today! We set up dates for my visit to practice with her squad. I'm so excited. I'll tell you more about it later :). I'm off to go eat dinner!_

"What the hell?"Confused, Santana went to check why she was apparently not signed on. Upon the realization that she had gone 'invisible', she brought her palm towards her face, gently hitting her forehead.

"Duh" She quickly changed the status before scanning her friends list. Nothing. Taking into consideration the time, she figured the dancer must have ventured off to eat since the message was sent just a few minutes prior. Deciding that was a brilliant idea, she opted to do the same. This time though, the cheerleader made sure to remain online with an away status in place.

-15 minutes later-

**canttouchthis21** is away: *gettin me some food! mmm breadstix takeout!*

**danceefreak:** i see u went and got some food too! hope you're enjoying :)

-10 minutes later-

**canttouchthis21:** hey!

**canttouchthis21:** i sure did! haha. u inspired me :)...how was ur dinner?

**danceefreak:** aww yay! and my dinner was good :) thanks. we had veggie stir fry! u? what's breadstix?

**canttouchthis21:** sounds yum! (even tho i hate veggies!) lol and it's like a chain italian restaurant where i live. so good! i had a pasta bowl and BREADSTICKS!

**danceefreak:** what? how are u on a D1 squad? my coach would like kill us if we ate all that.

**canttouchthis21:** oh..trust, mine threatens to castrate us and i have no doubt she would attempt it! i have a super fast metabolism tho so its all good =D

**danceefreak:** O.o woww..thats crazy! but you're so lucky! i gotta follow the rules.

**canttouchthis21:** i know! i'd die w/o that shit tho lol. i'm like obsessed with breadsticks. plus it's all u can eat! omg

**danceefreak: **lol weirdo! =P

**canttouchthis21:** pftt whateva! hehe. so speaking of cheerleading, tell me about ur talk with that coach! that's gotta be so exciting!

**danceefreak:** omg! yesss! i'm so beyond excited. still can't reveal too much info yet (which is weird since it's only hs cheerleading!) but yeah, she really wants to see me in person. we arranged for the last week in july! turns out they were having visits then anyways, which is when a lot of schools are apparently, so it works!

**canttouchthis21:** aww! that's amazing. i'm happy for u! u'll have to let me know all about how u showed those girls up with ur mad skillz ;) lol

**danceefreak:** hahaha youre so cute...but will do! i'm super nervous tho

**canttouchthis21:** hey! enough with callin me cute =P but seriously..u got this!

**danceefreak:** thanks ^_^

**cantouchthis21:** np!

**danceefreak:** :)

**canttouchthis21:** soo...u have a cat named pluto, a dog named simba, nd a bird named scuttle?

**danceefreak:** hehehe yes!

**canttouchthis21:** lmao. k so the bird, i get..but simba and pluto being opposites? wth?

**danceefreak:** hahahaha i thought it was hilarious! i think they secretly hate me for it tho

**canttouchthis21:** I would! that's like illegal or something =P

**danceefreak:** what? no it isn't! i would've known

**canttouchthis21:** k..it's not...but it should be!

**danceefreak:** oh hush u! don't scare me like that.

**canttouchthis21:** aww you're so cute! also cute? the fact that u used disney names for them!

**danceefreak:** omg i love disney! oh and quit making me blush

**canttouchthis21:** me too!...but that doesn't leave this convo ;) nd awww. i bet you're cute when u blush too

**danceefreak:** ughh..whatever. moving on!

**canttouchthis21:** ooo look who likes changing the topic now =P

**danceefreak:** good one..i'll let u have that

**canttouchthis21:** thank u..thank u. i do try ;)

**danceefreak:** uh huh...lol. well, i have to go :( sundays in the summer are family movie night. it's my choice tonight!

**canttouchthis21:** aww..cool. enjoy! i guess i'll ttys

**danceefreak:** thanks! and definitely :) can't wait til then!

**canttouchthis21:** :) gn!

**danceefreak:** night night!

*danceefreak has signed off*

Santana decided to hang around online a little longer. That lasted all of ten minutes though as she quickly grew bored. Noticing it was only after seven, she put in a movie figuring she would call it a night after it was done. She did have Coach sylvester to deal with the next day, so she needed all the rest she could get.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay! Hope you all continue to read and enjoy it. Also, I appreciate all the lovely reviews..thank you so much :) Also, I think I'm going to change the rating to M. Idk..Santana drops the F bomb once in a while and I think that would call for the change? Just letting you all know.


	5. Chapter 5

The next week was brutal for Santana and her fellow cheerios. During their Monday morning practice, not only did they fail to keep their pyramid standing for the required minute and a half, the squad also couldn't for the life of them learn the new routine. They just weren't working together, and Coach Sylvester punished them for it. As of that morning, they were to have three a days for the however long necessary in order to "regain their standing as viable human beings and not fall to the level of those despicable mouth breathers who possess neither the guts nor talent to pass as the aforementioned species." Santana knew that there was a compliment somewhere in that statement. It's the only thing that stopped her from slashing the tires of her coach's prized 1979 Le Car that day. Well, there was also the fact that she was terrified to even try such a thing. No one needed to know that though. So she sucked it up and attended her three practices a day.

July 19, 2010

Today marked day six of having belonged to the devil. She had begrudgingly awoke each previous day at seven in order to be at the field by nine. Their first session concluded at noon, followed by an hour lunch break, and then it was back to work until six in the evening with another long break thrown in somewhere at Sue's discretion. In other words, they got their butts handed to them. So much in fact that upon her arrival home on these days, Santana showered, ate and threw herself into bed falling asleep almost instantly. Today was one of those rare days where she was home by one. It started pouring just as the cheerleaders finished their first session, and remaining practices were cancelled for the day as the presence of lightening demanded that all outdoor activities cease immediately. If it were up to one Sue Sylvester, her squad would be out there running wind sprints and dodging lightening bolts, if they were so lucky. Unfortunately for her, Principal Figgins anticipated this and was on hand to handle the situation. The squad couldn't have been more grateful. _Santana_ couldn't be more grateful. This meant she wouldn't be dead to the world for yet another day and could possibly have the chance to talk to her online companion. It's been all of eight days (including the weekend which called for a visit to her grandparents house in some secluded, woodsy area), after all. One thing stood in the way of that at the moment though, Quinn.

Pulling into her driveway, Santana put her Mustang into park and sat waiting for her best friend to do the same. Once they were both situated, they entered the house heading straight to the kitchen. The refrigerator was opened and two bottles of Gatorade were extracted as per their usual routine developed the year prior. They both made their way to Santana's room to drop their stuff off before separating for quick showers. Thirty minutes later, both were clad in sweats watching tv. Eyeing her laptop, Santana thought about picking it up. However, thinking of what that would lead to she decided to forgo venturing online. She was SO not up for the inquisition from Quinn. She figured she had all night to possibly talk to B.

"You know...you could just go online and do whatever it is you do..." Quinn said sizing up her friend with a mocking look.

Feigning innocence, Santana replied asking Quinn to further elaborate claiming that she 'didn't know what she was going on about'.

"Oh don't play that! You know damn well what I'm talking about Miss 'I'm gonna stare longingly at my laptop looking all sad because I can't talk to my girl.' It's pathetic." The two engaged in a staring match as Quinn said those words. Santana was the first to break it by rolling her eyes.

"Fine. I will, but only if you text the person who has you staring at _your_ phone all longingly and shit." With a smirk, she continued "Gee! I wonder who that could be?" While Quinn didn't verbally say anything, the redness flushing her cheeks told Santana everything she needed to know. "Thought so!"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Trying to look anywhere but at her friend, she continued "but deal."

Santana's head shot up at her friend with a disbelieving look. Raising an eyebrow and biting her lip, she let out a chuckle. Knowing Quinn would never talk about _who_ was on the receiving end of the impending texts openly, she simply slid off her bed to retrieve her computer. Opening it up, she logged onto the various sites that she immediately brought up on her screen, including her Aim account which opened on it's own. Scrolling down her list, she sees a familiar name. She was about to initiate a conversation when a hand hit hers away from the trackpad.

"Um..ow! What the fuck?" She turned, facing the owner of said hands.

"Oh..excuse me. I'll let you hit up your friend _seconds_ after you sign on because that doesn't seem..a tad desperate." She deadpanned, earning a very goldfish-esque reaction from Santana. "Sheesh! What would you do without me?"

"Ok. First of all, wipe that shit eating grin off your face before I do it for you. Second, if you didn't make such good points, I'd hate to be you right now after I got done with ya for not only hitting me, but being mad fucking nosy!" Santana delivered in a calm tone. That caused Quinn to lunge over and pinch her friends cheek.

"Aww Sannypoo! You're welcome!" She laughed and winked at her friend before nonchalantly returning her attention to her phone as if nothing happened.

"Whatever Fabray!" Reaching over she smacked her friend in the head earning a glare in return.

That was short lived though as Quinn's phone went off. Santana watched as she started grinning like an idiot, completely lost in her own world. Forming a devilish grin herself, Santana went back to her computer where she continued to set her away status to something her friend would be sure to love when she saw it later.

After looking at various sites for a few minutes, she went to check her profile inbox. Glancing to her left, she concluded Quinn was too caught up in texting, so it was safe to proceed. There were four messages waiting for her. Smiling, she clicked open the first one.

**danceefreak (Monday, 3:30pm) wrote:**

_Hiya! How are you? Hope you had a good night yesterday! We ended up watching The Lion King, which reminded me of Simba =P lol. Anyway! Guess you're not around. Probably at your cheer practice that's twenty times more legit than mine. Ahh I can't wait to be on your level! sighh_

_Well I'm off of here for a bit. I'll be around on aim though so hit me up. Don't be shy ;) hehehe _

_ttys_

_-B_

Still smiling, she went to open the second message.

**danceefreak (Thursday, 6:55pm) wrote:**

_So I'm slightly worried! You've been mia for a little bit now. I hope you're...you know, alive and stuff. I'd be sad if you weren't. Hmm..well I have to run out for a little. Having a girls night with some friends. Uh..yeah, hope you're good over there. Guess I'll talk to you soon! :)_

**danceefreak (Friday, 2:00pm) wrote:**

_guesssss what? I just booked plane tickets to go to that freaking D1 school! I can't believe it's practically only a week away. Anyway! I just wanted to share that with you :) ttys!_

_**danceefreak (10:38am) wrote:**_

_Hmm..so I just realized that us not talking may have been intentional on your end. I hope not! But if that is the case, then please ignore the other messages I left you. Anyway, take care._

_-B_

Upon seeing the last message, Santana hurriedly went to type a reply, after a quick "awww" which she was unaware had been said out loud.

**cheeriox21 (2:06pm) wrote:**

_hey there! thanks for your concern abt my absence. long story short...my coach is a lunatic who has us scheduled for three practices everysinglefuckingday! i've been dead to the world pretty much. i would never intentionally not talk to u. talking to u is fun :) lol anyway i see u over on aim so i shall go hit u up there!_

True to her word, Santana went to IM the other girl. Before she could even do anything, a box popped up on her screen.

**canttouchthis21** is away: *Quinn...aka the grinning idiot next to me must be having quite the text convo. hmm...a little sexting perhaps? i wonder who's on the other end of those... lol*

**danceefreak:** why hello there! glad to see you're alive and NOT ignoring me =P

**canttouchthis21:** hahaha hi! def wasnt ignoring u, and thanks for the concern :)

**danceefreak:** i'm glad! and np :)

**canttouchthis21: **soo whaddup?

**danceefreak: **nothing much...u?

**canttouchthis21:** same. just chillin. got outta practice early today thanks to the rain and i'm so fucking excited!

**danceefreak:** i bet u are! i mean..u get to talk to me right? ;)

**canttouchthis21:** word!

**danceefreak:** nah i'm just kidding =P

**canttouchthis21:**...i wasn't ;)

**danceefreak:** oh..quit making me blush!

**canttouchthis21:** only returning the favor ma

**danceefreak:** lmao! u did not just call me "ma"

**canttouchthis21:** lol don't hate on my swag. u know u like it

**danceefreak:** righttt...lol

**canttouchthis21:** =P

**danceefreak:** youre such a dork

**canttouchthis21: **never that lol. so anyway! what have you been up to the past week? missing me?

**danceefreak: **uh huh...sure! and I've been uhh...missing u ;)

**danceefreak:** hehe jk. i've mostly been working out, finalizing stuff for next week. it's so flipping weird! and kinda stressful

Before Santana could read the girl's response, she felt a pillow connect with her head. She turned her head to the culprit with her patented 'what the fuck' expression.

"What was that for?"

"I hate you. Did you seriously have to write that shit on Facebook?" Quinn asked.

"What are you talking about?" She really had no clue what her friend was talking about.

"Well according to Rachel, I'm apparently a grinning idiot or something of the sort cause of the person I'm talking to...sexting...which I'm NOT! I should have known something was up when she asked me if I was texting anyone else."

"Oh, that! I forgot that shit gets posted everywhere." Santana said with a chuckle. "Oops?" With a smug look, she brought her attention back to her computer.

**danceefreak:**...u there?

**canttouchthis21:** yeah..sorry bout that! my friend distracted me for a bit.

**danceefreak:** the one in ur away? Quinn? that's an interesting name! i like it :)

**canttouchthis21:** yeah...her. she's a dork. but moving on...srry youre having a hard time working things out. just think of how it'll all be worth it!

**danceefreak:** that's what i keep telling myself :)

**canttouchthis21:** good!

**danceefreak: **yup yup. so 3 a days huh? that's nuts. i'm sure that can't be legal! lol

**canttouchthis21:** omg! tell me about it! my coach is crazy.

**danceefreak:** sounds it! but hey..at least u get a nice body out of it. one of the perks yeah?

**canttouchthis21:** that's right! I'm bangin!

**danceefreak:** hahaha sure u are =P

**canttouchthis21:** lol trust..i'm def not lacking in that area

**danceefreak:** yeah yeah..guess it's one of those "i have to see it to believe it" moments lol

**canttouchthis21: **yo u'd be lucky to be graced with my presence ;)

**danceefreak: **sighhh...so you say

**canttouchthis21**: ugh! moving on...again.

**danceefreak:** haha go for it

**canttouchthis21: **ive got nothing

**danceefreak: **lol well tell me about ur practices. why 3 a days? what are u guys working on?

**canttouchthis21:** spying for the opposition i see =P

**danceefreak:** lol well considering i don't know ur school, that's impossible! so..go on

**canttouchthis21: **uh huh...but omg..ok so it all started when some freshman messed up the pyramid which is a huge no no..i mean, u can't even so much as quiver. it's gotta be perfect. THEN this new routine my coach has us working on is fucking impossible. so yeah..long story short...my coach is insane lol.

**danceefreak: **wow..that's nuts!

**canttouchthis21: **yeah tell me about it..smh (**a/n:** "shaking my head" for those unfamiliar with it)

**danceefreak:** uhh yeah, the coach at that new school better not be like that!

**canttouchthis21:** yeah for your sake i hope not! so how's that process going?

**danceefreak:** it's going. kinda stressful, but it's alright. my mom and dad have been looking into houses and such where it's at so it's becoming more real! i'm excited though. their squad is really really good...supposedly the best.

**canttouchthis21: **yeah it'll die down eventually. and lets not get too excited here..mine's the best =P y'all can take second tho i guess

**danceefreak:** lol..what section are u guys in?

**canttouchthis21: **east

**danceefreak:** ooh same! guess we'll have to see then ;)

**canttouchthis21:** damn straight! don't get ur hopes up tho...JUST SAYIN lol

**danceefreak:** uh huh...sure. u keep thinking that. but just keep in mind how much better mine will be once i get there :)

**canttouchthis21:** ahh u and ur mad skillz huh?

**danceefreak:** heck yeah! so anyway..it seems we'll be running in the same circle pretty soon

**canttouchthis21:** indeed...small world

**danceefreak:** well uhh..if u ever need some pointers or anything...let me know =P

**canttouchthis21: **u wish!

**danceefreak:** haha "JUST SAYIN"

**canttouchthis21: **yeah yeah..the same goes to u btw.

**danceefreak:** uh huh...

**canttouchthis21:** i mean..lets be honest. u'll need it more than i will. i'm an excellent teacher too! promise ;)

**danceefreak:** i'm sure u are!

**canttouchthis21:** dont hate! =P

**danceefreak:** "never that!"..oh look! i'm learning from u already lmao.

**canttouchthis21:** dork.

**danceefreak:** :)

**canttouchthis21:** do u get to do ur big decision reveal?

**danceefreak: **as soon as i sign my letter of intent!

**canttouchthis21: **ooo yay! u gotta let me know

**danceefreak:** of courseeee.

**canttouchthis21: **sweett!

**danceefreak:** just promise me one thing..."when you go to Nationals, bring it. don't slack off just because you feel sorry for us. that way, when we beat you, we'll know it's because we're better"

**canttouchthis21:** "Oh i'll bring it! don't worry..."

**danceefreak:** "i never do" ;)

**canttouchthis21:** fucking bring it onnn mannn! that's like the "mean girls" of the cheerleading world

**danceefreak:** hahaha yes! that was awesome! so glad u caught on. wouldve questioned ur cheerleading status otherwise

**canttouchthis21: **hehehe...right? that movie's a must. but for real tho. i can't wait to know which school to absolutely destroy ;)

**danceefreak:** dream on missy

**danceefreak:** lmao! omg missy! she was the freaking best. eliza dushku...HOT

**canttouchthis21:** lol that was perfect! and yes. she. IS.

The girls spent the rest of the night chatting idly with each other, only taking breaks for food and other necessities before saying their goodbyes to get some sleep. She didn't even fully acknowledge Quinn's departure a full 2 hours prior. Luckily, that went unnoticed by the other girl because she too was engrossed in her own little world. It was the most content Santana had felt in a while and that scared her a little. Actually, she was terrified. How did she attain such a strong connection with someone she barely knew and communicated with strictly through a computer. It almost felt unnatural. _Almost._

_

* * *

_

A/N: Ok..I suck. I know lol. Working on it though! I pretty much have a set time to write each day now, (during my breaks from classes) so I should be a little better about posting. Thanks for taking the time to read/review/alert the previous chapters! It means a lot :)

Enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

July 24, 2010

"Brittany! Get off the computer and lets go!" Mrs. Pierce yelled from down the hall. It was the Saturday they were to head to Ohio for "McKinely Cheerweek!"

"God that's such a lame name!" Brittany mused to herself as she put the brochure safely into her backpack. Turning back to her computer, she continued to wrap up the conversation she was currently engaging in.

**danceefreak: **ugh so i have to go now...we're about to hit the road

**canttouchthis21: **way to sound enthusiastic about that! =P

**danceefreak:** oh, i am. trust me! lol just a little nervous

**canttouchthis21:** aww don't be, you'll have so much fun! I did when i went to mine last year...tho i did think i was gonna die/be murdered...

**danceefreak:** WHAT?

**canttouchthis:** hahaha relaxxxx! my coach is a lunatic and borderline sociopathic so that's why. im sure you've got nothing to worry about

**danceefreak:** gosh i hope not.

"Brittany! Your father is in the car. Come on!"

**danceefreak:** shoot, k i really have to go now. i'll talk to you soon hopefully!

**canttouchthis21:** ok =) good luck! and have fun

**danceefreak21:** thanks =D you enjoy your week too! hope your coach doesn't kill you...or anyone else

**canttouchthis21:** hahaha thanks! i'll be safe tho. unfortunately i can't say the same for the fresh meat

**danceefreak:** smh. k ttys!

**canttouchthis21: **lata

Brittany grabbed her backpack and headed down to join her family in the car. The drive to Ohio, from her hometown in Pennsylvania, would only be about four and a half hours. In the first few minutes of the ride, Brittany found herself thinking about her trip. She was looking forward to this week. This was the opportunity of a lifetime for her and she knew she had to bring it. She had to turn on her charm, which honestly was never off, and make these people fall in love with her. It was that simple. The talent was there, all she just had to play her cards right. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and drifted off into a light sleep.

The Pierces' arrived at their hotel after a fairly easy five hour drive (they took a rest stop). Susan suggested the clan have dinner at a restaurant they passed on the way into town. When their car pulled into the parking lot, Brittany paid very little attention to where they were and instead, rushed inside to satisfy her sudden hunger. It wasn't until she was seated and handed a menu that she noticed the name of the restaurant.

"Oh my god! The name of this place is Breadstix!" She yelled out, earning a few questioning looks from the other patrons.

"Brittany, dear, what has gotten into you?" Her mother asked.

"Clearly the girl just learned how to read, love!" Peter chimed, his voice ridden with mirth. "We should be proud of our little Britt Britt..."

"Daddd...get your hands off of me!"

"Peter, let go of your daughters face. You guys are making a scene!"

Brittany and her dad shared a look of amusement before they turned to Susan and each captured one of her cheeks.

Dinner went swimmingly from that point on. Brittany's hunger was satisfied and she had a little food left to snack on later, things were settling in lovely. The family began making their way out of the restaurant, but not before an appearance of Brittany's inevitable clumsiness.

"Hey watch it!"

She had run into someone...again. She had no idea how it happened. She rarely did. What she did know though was that she had an arm full of what was apparently a girl, judging by the voice.

"I'm so so sorry. I didn't see you there!" She rushed out as she untangled her limbs.

Taking a step back, she ran a finger through her hair with her eyes stuck on the floor.

"Yeah, well just watch where you're going." The other girl spat.

Brittany looked up and was instantly taken a back by what she saw. The two girls connected gazes and both faltered for a second. Stunned silent and slightly mesmerized, Brittany simply nodded her head. They both stood there for what seemed like a few minutes, but in reality was about fifteen seconds, completely stuck. They weren't broken out of their trance until the sound of Susan's voice made its way into the restaurant beckoning her daughter. Remembering that she was attempting to catch up to her parents before the collision, Brittany made her way out mumbling another apology. It's safe to say that those piercing brown eyes were constantly on her mind the remainder of her night.

July 26, 2010

The sound of Brittany's alarm filled the room at seven am. She reached to silence it before quickly jumping up from the bed to prepare for her day. McKinley Cheerweek started today, and she was excited yet nervous. She needed to be at the school at 845 for check-ins before they started at nine. By a quarter past eight, she had showered, eaten, and was just about ready to head out. The entire family piled into the car and set out for the fifteen minute drive to McKinely High. Upon their arrival, Brittany was uncharacteristically quiet as she stared out the window at the mass of red and white that surrounded her.

"Hey, you ok kiddo?" Peter asked looking back as he put the car in park.

"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous. There are so many girls..." She replied, trailing off as she continues to look around.

"You'll be fine! You know you're a superstar." Susan chimed in.

"You're expected to say that ma."

With that she made her way out of the car, hoisting her duffel on her shoulder. They were ten minutes early to checkin so they decided to get in line to avoid being late. By the time they got to the table, it was practically time for Brittany to make her way to the field. She got her name tag, thanked and kissed her parents goodbye, then proceeded to walk hastily to where the other girls were gathering. As she was about to round the fence that led to the field, she once again collided with someone.

"Crap! I'm sorry...this always happens to me. Are you ok?" She asked the other girl.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Looking up, she offered her hand and a smile. "Hi, I'm Quinn."

Brittany shook her hand. "I'm Brittany. Nice to meet you."

"You too. Hey, you might wanna get going before coach starts. I'll see you out there."

"Right. Well, sorry again. I promise I'm not as clumsy out there."

Quinn chuckled and dismissed the girl's worries telling her not to sweat it. As the two were about to go their separate ways, Brittany saw someone approaching them.

"Q, I got your name tag."

"Thanks!" Quinn looked at her best friend only to find her staring at the other blonde curiously and interjected. "Hey, this is one of the new girls..she just bumped into me."

"Yeah, she seems to have a knack for that..." The girl replied, her gaze never leaving Brittany's face.

"Righttt. Well, we have to go, Coach is sure to be looking for us by now. Good luck out there."

Without another word the two girls walked away. Brittany let out a heavy sigh and followed behind them. She saw the two girls approach someone who appeared to be the coach and take a stand on either side of her. It was then she realized that those were the captains, and she had just made a fool of herself in front of them.

"Dammit." She whispered as she ran to get in line with the other twenty recruits after dropping off her bags.

The coach started speaking not long after that.

"Ladies...welcome to hell! I'm Coach Sylvester." She yelled into the megaphone. "I'm not your mommy or your daycare attendant, nor do I care about your feelings so I'd prefer it if you kept your whining and nagging to yourselves. Actually, there will be NO tears here. If I even see you so much as quiver, your ass will be shipped home so fast you'll get enough whiplash to last you the rest of your life."

The recruits all eyed each other warily and a few even departed the lineup, finding themselves not quite cut out for this level of crazy. Bringing her eyes back to the front, Brittany saw Quinn blankly staring ahead while the other girl was nonchalantly filing her nails. It surprised her that they weren't at all bothered by their coach's antics. Her gaze settled back on Coach Sylvester who was no longer barking at them. Instead, she had turned to her returners who were standing behind her and the captains. Brittany faintly heard her assign them random names of the new girls who would be shadowing them for the week. The group dispersed making their way to seek out their assignment. Brittany closed her eyes and silently wished for Quinn to be her mentor as opposed to her friend or anyone else for that matter. She was seemingly nice. Taking a deep breath she opened her eyes, searching for that familiar face only to find her already preoccupied with another girl. Glancing in the other direction, she saw the short brunette, the one person she was hoping to have not been assigned her name, heading her way. She internalized her apprehension as the approaching girl stopped before her with a surprisingly pleasant smile on her face. Brittany lightened up a bit and offered one in return.

"Hi, I'm Santana."

Brittany waves, says hello, and just stands there looking at Santana expectantly. She sees the girl raise an eyebrow as she begins to speak to her again.

"You know..when someone tells you their name, it's nice to return the favor." By now she had her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face.

Brittany looks at her incredulously; she was confused. "Oh, I thought you already knew my name. You were after all assigned to me...by name..." Their interaction was interrupted by a passing Quinn.

"Girl's got a point there Lopez" She teased, backpedalling away from the girls barely keeping her laughter in. Santana scowls and rolls her eyes. Fearing she may have already cast herself in a bad light, Brittany looked back at the head cheerleader and offers one of her breathtaking smiles.

"We should start again. Hi, I'm Brittany S. Pierce. Nice to meet you Santana Lopez." She stuck out her hand and waits for the other girl to shake it.

Santana looked at the girl disbelievingly and her features softened for a millisecond before reverting back to its uninterested state, which Brittany noticed. Santana blew off the gesture and turned around to begin their warmup laps advising the blonde to keep up because "Santana Lopez waited for no one!" Brittany had no choice but to speedily catch up. This was going to be a long week she thought.

* * *

Guys..I lost inspiration for a little, then Sexy happened and it was so hard to write because reality was suddenly so much better haha. Now that the ball is rolling, there's more ideas floating around and that means more for me to write! Thanks to everyone still reading this, reviewing, and all those who've put up with my slacking. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. (Also, I'm so not much of a writer, so I apologize for all mistakes made).


	7. Chapter 7

July 28, 2010

The first and second days had been torture. Sure, Brittany was in shape, but this was no joke. After two days of full on cardio and endurance, she was ready for the dance/routines portion of the week. Luckily for her, that day was today. She set out that morning, making sure to leave way ahead of schedule since she was driving there solo for the first time after endlessly begging her parents. That would be why she found herself in the McKinley High parking lot an hour early. She observed the few other student athletes and parents roaming around, no doubt trying to get to their summer commitments as well, she figured. Brittany took the time to take each one in as they passed in front of her. There were mostly the typical jock popular types with their letterman jackets in tow, even in this humid and hot weather, walking calmly to their destination leaving a crowd of girls swooning behind them. She really didn't get the appeal; especially of that guy with the ridiculous mohawk. The sound of her phone playing "I'm a Hustla" broke her out of her thoughts. With a giggle, she answered it.

"I'm alive, ma."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. You were supposed to call me!" Susan raised her voice, causing Brittany to cringe.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I just get..." Her sentence trailed off as she saw a silver Mustang pull in opposite her.

"Britt?"

"Distracted. You know how I am, I get distracted!" She looked back into the other car just in time to see Santana, the girl she spent the past two days with, looking back at her. In a surprising move, she waved shyly and jerked her head to the side in a gesture Brittany understood to mean, "Meet me outside". She ended her conversation with her mother still in a daze as she exited the car. Taking a deep breath, she made her way out and approached Santana.

"Hi"

"Hey. You're here early...coach will like that."

"Good. I swear that woman is insane-" Santana quirked an eyebrow. "-ly wonderful!"

"Hahaha it's ok. I think she's just as _wonderful _as you do." Brittany looked up at the other girl and smiled shyly. The tension between them eased a bit and both girls slipped into an easy conversation as they walked to the bleachers.

"So, where are you from?" Santana asked.

"Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh actually...it's not that far from here."

"Ah, yeah. I've passed through there on my way to New York. Cute town."

"Yeah, it's alright. Living there gets boring sometimes and it's not like I can escape to New York City on the weekends or anything."

"That sucks! You've been out there though, yeah?"

"Definitely. Not as much as I'd like though. That's why I'm totally moving there after high school. Well, I hope to."

"Really? Me too! Well either there or LA."

"Nice! So what grade are you in?"

"Sophomore this year. You?"

"What? So how are you the captain? Oh and same."

"I'm just that good." Santana shrugged and brushed her shoulders, causing Brittany to burst out laughing. "What? I'm serious! Coach has been watching me since the sixth grade. She made me an unofficial member of the squad in seventh, and I took over in ninth when I got to high school. Quinn too. We're like the holy duo or some shit like that."

"Wow. That's amazing. Can't wait to see what you've got then." Brittany said in a semi-flirtatious voice causing Santana to blush.

"Uh...yeah...well, prepare to have your mind blown!"

"Doubt it! I'll be the one blowing minds."

"Guess well have to see after today then, huh?"

"Guess so!" Both girls grinned toothily. They were so completely wrapped up in each other that they failed to notice the figure walking over to them, whose appearance shook both girls out of their stupor.

"Fabray." Santana sneered looking up at her friend.

"Lopez." Quinn winked before turning her attention to the other girl. "Brittany, right?"

"Y-yeah. Hi Quinn."

"Hey! I'm glad to see you guys are getting acquainted seeing as Brittany is sure to have a spot in the fall if she chooses to go here. Not many can keep up with Coach Sylvester's intense cardio days. Anyway, I hate to cut this...conversation short, but Santana and I should get to our spots on the field. Coach will be here any minute." Looking between the two, she sensed some tension so she decided to give them a minute. Before walking away though, Quinn pointed to the label on her chest, reminding Brittany to put on her nametag.

"Okay...guess I'll see you out there? Make sure you put that tag on too. Today's definitely the day to have your name known." With one more glance, Santana hurried off to catch up with her best friend.

Brittany remained silent and seated, processing what just happened. One of the captains just said she was a shoe in and the other was on somewhat friendly terms with her. This was turning out to be an amazing day. Figuring she should get out to the field, she took out her nametag and put it on. Then it hit her. "Quinn". That was the first time she saw how the girl spelled her name, and it was awfully familiar to her. She thought back and remembered seeing it on her friend's status, thinking it was unique and pretty. Brittany wanted to write this off as just a coincidence, but she didn't believe in those thanks to Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS. With a shake of her head, she jogged over to the field, mind boggled and mumbling to herself.

"This time it just had to be. Surely there were other girls named Quinn who happened to be a cheerio, right? Totally. Heck, maybe she even misspelled her own name. 'Kwin' seems more appropriate. I mean, 'Quinn' should be pronounced 'queen' or something. Plus, 'S's Quinn probably isn't a cheerleader. Good, that's solved. Shit, Santana started with a 'S'. Ugh...okay, gotta focus on cheering today, Britt. You got this."

That mini pep talk paid off for Brittany. She stood mountains above the other recruits and had really garnered plenty of attention and praises. None from the coach herself, but all the returners, and more importantly the captains, took notice. At the end of the day as the girls were doing their "cool down" jog, Brittany felt a presence join her. Looking over to the girl, she smiled and continued to run in silence.

"You were pretty good out there. I mean, not as great as me, but decent."

"HA! Well let's hope Coach Sylvester feels that way."

"I'm sure she will. Anyone with eyes can see how great you are."

"Thanks." A suddenly red Brittany replied.

"Awe, look...she's blushing." Santana teased, shouldering Brittany before speeding up to finish her lap. Brittany slowed down to a walk, looking at the girl in amusement and bewilderment before sprinting to catch up. She had a feeling she would be doing a lot of running around with and after, this girl.

A few hours later, Brittany was face down on her bed in pretty much the same position since showering when she got home. A loud ding filled the room. She rolled over and picked up her laptop, happy to see who had messaged her.

**canttouchthis21:** hey...sup?

**danceefreak:** hi :) nothing much. just dyingg...a slow, painful death lol you?

**canttouchthis21:** SAME! cheerleading?

**danceefreak:** yep! this D1 thing is no joke. It's been cool though. it's just so much more than i'm used to, and this coach doesn't play. though i mean, the girls are hot hahaha.

**canttouchthis21:** aww, yeah..u'll get used to it once it's in full swing. and nice! that's always a deal sealer. we've got a couple lookers too. how's the squad?

**danceefreak: **amazing! i'm barely keeping up with them

**canttouchthis21:** what happened to ur "skillz" miss?

**danceefreak:** oh..they were front and center! everyone else was just THAT good...or so it seemed anyway. especially the captains. i did get a few compliments though :)

**canttouchthis21:** sweet! see..you're fine. and yeahh, that's our job. u don't just get handed that spot. gotta earn it like i did ;)

**danceefreak:** wait..you didn't tell me you were the captain of your squad? wow..that's awesome

**canttouchthis21:** yeah, i fucking love it. so u like the school and stuff? like u think u'll move out there?

**danceefreak:** most likely. the rents are still looking into houses and such. it really all comes down to if i get invited back though

**canttouchthis21:** i'm sure u will :)

**danceefreak: **thanks! anyway, how's life? it's been a little bit since we last spoke

**canttouchthis21:** same old same old really. just been chillin, cheerleading. u know there isn't much life outside of that

**danceefreak:** yeah, i'm starting to realize that lol. it's all good though, i mean...you meet people who'll become your friends and that's a win in my book

**canttouchthis21: **exactly. like my best friend is on the squad too

**danceefreak:** see? and that's awesome

**canttouchthis21:** definitely

**danceefreak:** yeah and one of the girls i met, i can already tell we're gonna be good friends.

**canttouchthis21:** aww yay! oddly enough, i'm in like the same position. it's so weird cause we just click, you know?

**danceefreak: **totally! i love when that happens

**canttouchthis21:** ditto. so what are u up to for the rest of the day?

**danceefreak: **relaxing, then figuring out what to do for dinner with the parentals. you?

**canttouchthis21:** most likely heading out to dinner with some friends in a few. breadstix has all you can eat pasta so u KNOW i'm in there!

**danceefreak:** hahaha amazing! ahh i almost forgot to tell you! there's one of those in the town we're in. went there for dinner a few nights back. it was pretty good.

**canttouchthis21:** omg really? hmm. hadn't realized there were so many. i mean, i know they're a chain restaurant and whatnot...that's amazing tho! glad u got to experience the orgasm i'm sure ur mouth had ;) lol

**danceefreak:** lol! i wouldnt go that far, but it was good =P

**canttouchthis21:** that's it? just good? i don't think we can be friends anymore

**danceefreak:** someone's obsessed!

**canttouchthis21: **hell yeah!

**danceefreak: **hahaha loser

**canttouchthis21:** far from it babe :)

**danceefreak:** uh huh...sure.

**canttouchthis21:** lol whatever! so hey, i gotta go get ready and shiz then head out.

**danceefreak:** kk, have a good one!

**canttouchthis21: **thanks :) u too yeah?

**danceefreak:** yup yup..thanks!

**canttouchthis21:** :) and enjoy the rest of cheerleading too! not sure when i'll get back on here

**danceefreak:** gracias! you too...ttys :)

Sighing, Brittany sat back from her laptop. There were so many things to think about. The similarities between her online friend and her new friend, Santana, were quite a bit much. It's an extreme circumstance she's found herself in, and she wasn't sure how to handle it. She spent the next ten minutes thinking before coming to a rash decision.

"God this is such a bad idea." She said to herself as she made her way to the common area of the suite.

"Hey Britt, how are you feeling?" Susan asked, smiling at her daughter.

"Better, thanks." Brittany looked around. "Where's dad?"

"He just stepped out for a bit. What's wrong?"

"Oh, I was just wondering what the dinner plans were for the night."

"Hmm, I don't know. Have anything in mind?"

"I'm kinda feeling for Italian tonight. I thought maybe we could head out to that place we went to on Saturday?"

Susan paused to think about it. "Oh, that's a great idea! I enjoyed their food. Let me just call your father then we can go. You should wash up in the meantime."

"Sweet! Ok, let me know when we're leaving."

Brittany ran back to the room to change and "wash up". After picking out a satisfying outfit, she decided to lounge around on her computer until her father got back. She updated her facebook first, then went to do the same to her aim. She stopped herself though. It was unclear if the other girl was putting together the pieces like she was, so there was no need to take that risk. She would just show up, and if Santana was there...well she wasn't sure what would happen. She had to find out though.

"Brittany, your father's here!"

Shaken out of her thoughts, Brittany shut her laptop and made her way to join her family.

* * *

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, favorites and messages of encouragement to get this thing out. And to everyone who's still reading. I appreciate it sooo much!


	8. Chapter 8

July 28, 2010

Santana was pretty much already tired of this week. She'd already put on a show on the first, second, and third days, solidifying her spot at the top and quelling the minds of any doubters. Looking back, she began to scan through the recruits, mentally making a note of the promising ones. She was unimpressed to be honest. Of the ten left, only three girls stood out; Bianca, Jamie, and Brittany. She'd never admit it to anyone, not even Quinn who tried to beat it out of her, but Brittany was top quality. She had all the right moves, personality and she was banging! That was another thing Quinn kept trying to force her to talk about. Apparently, Santana had quite the eye for the tall, leggy blonde. She couldn't help it though, and you couldn't really blame her. There was just something about the new girl that had her mesmerized.

"Snap out of it Lopez, you're making me sick." Quinn said as she entered Santana's bedroom, and house, unannounced. She was closely followed by Rachel who was using the girl as a shield.

"Fuck you, your lapdog makes me sick." Santana spat as she glared at the two girls, mainly Rachel.

"Hey, don't talk about her like that!"

"Whatever. You couldn't just call me like a normal person and let me know you're here?" Santana questioned.

"Of course not. Why should I? I can just barge right in and see your lovely face a minute earlier than I have to. No, but really, I called you twice."

Rachel stepped out from behind Quinn and began to speak.

"It's true. Might I add, it's completely unsafe to leave your house in such an open state. You never know what kind of people you're surrounded with, and it's best to take precaution. As my daddy always says, 'prevention is better than cure'. I encourage you to protect yourself against all possible, unfortunate, and unforeseeable events, Santana."

Rachel paused for a breath, and Santana saw this as her opening. "Can it Berry! God, the only thing unfortunate right now is you standing in my room..." She turned her attention back to Quinn, "and my bad Q, guess I was a little dazed here."

"Yeah, whatever. Can we go? I'm starving!"

Santana stood up and grabbed her bag, proceeding to follow Quinn and Rachel, who was already halfway outside. When she finally caught up, both girls were already settled into Quinn's car.

"Berry! Backseat...now!" She commanded at the girl sitting next to Quinn.

With wide eyes, Rachel moved to climb over the center counsel but was stopped by an arm grabbing her.

"Stay." Quinn countered as she reached to roll Rachel's window down. "Lopez, either get in the backseat, or don't get in at all."

"Quinn, it's seriously no big. I'll sit in the back otherwise she'll just be crabby the whole night."

"Nonsense. She can suck it up." Looking to a folded arms, scowl faced Santana, she continued "Your choice Ms. Rebecca Black. Which seat will it be? One in my car, or inside your house?"

Failing to contain her laugh, Santana acquiesced and got in the back.

"You're lucky that was kinda funny...dork. I hope you realize that I have my own car, so I didn't need you!" Glancing in the side mirror, she caught the mirth on Rachel's face. Reaching forward, she smacked her on the side of her head.

"What the heck, Santana? Quinn!" She tried getting her friend to stand up for her, and failed miserably as Quinn was sporting a smirk. "Fine."

"Oh lighten up! Since you're hanging with Qui-us now, you're fair game when it comes to our physical...relationship." Santana reasoned.

"More like physical abuse..." A grumbling Rachel added, only calming down when Quinn rubbed the spot where Santana hit her.

"Not always." She responded, earning a toothy grin from Rachel.

"Seriously? Gross. Just get me to my food already!"

Quinn quickly withdrew her hand blushing.

"Ugh, whatever. Can we please just go? I wants to get ma breadsticks on. And that's breadsticks, as in those addicting little suckers that I just can't get enough of, which will likely never happen 'cause they're unlimited baby! Seriously. One time, I showed up with a wheelbarrow and-" She was cut off by a snorting Rachel, and an amused looking Quinn.

"We know the story Santana. I swear, I've heard it at least ten times. I mean, you even started to sound a little like this one over here" Quinn told her, pointing towards Rachel. That earned her a death glare from the two other girls. She threw her hands up in defense before pulling out of the driveway. Quinn waited until they drove for about ten minutes to bring up a topic that would surely upset her best friend.

"So, S..Rachel and I were talking earlier, and we realized that Breadstix doesn't really have vegan friendly alternatives on their menu. We were thinking we could try somewhere new tonight? There's this really awesome restaurant that we wanted to go to."

"Nonononono! Q? No. I can't even. What are you saying? No. Like what the fuck! Seriously Fabray? Screw that! I want my goddamn breadsticks. I swear if I don't get that shit I will lose it..." Santana started hyperventilating "I really just want my sticks." She sniffled, eyes beginning to water.

Rachel's eyes widened as she stared cautiously at the fiery, overdramatic cheerleader in the back of the car. Quinn glanced in the rearview mirror at her friends familiar antics. Rolling her eyes, she prepared a speech to coax her friend into conceding.

"Santana, be reasonable. We go to Breadstix _at least_ three times a week. All I'm asking for is just one night where we try something different. Just this once. I promise you I will take you to get your breadsticks whenever you want. I'll even pay. Plus, this place supposedly doesn't card, so you know what that means!" At the mention of that, Santana's eyes lit up.

"You mean..I can get my drank on? Okay, I can get dzown with that. Berry, you're lucky my girl Q here knows the ways to my heart. Your ass was abouts to get a beat down."

"And here goes ghetto Santana." Quinn muttered under her breath, earning a laugh from Rachel who up until that point had been uncharacteristically quiet.

"Shut it Fabray! Now hurry up. You've got me all excited and not even the little midget here can bring me down right now." Santana said, pointing at Rachel.

"Santana, we're practically the same height."

"Pfft..no we're not! Dwarf."

Rachel sighed and surrendered, deciding it was best not to get the girl riled up.

"Okay guys, we're here."

Santana was out the door before Quinn even finished her sentence.

Their meal went relatively well; if you take away a tipsy, weeping about breadsticks Santana, that is. They were on their way to casa de Lopez when Quinn just about had it with hearing her best friend in the back of her car. She was tempted to pull over and force the girl out, but Rachel offered some advice (via text) as to not put her friend on the spot. Quinn rolled her eyes at the suggestion, but gave in, nonetheless.

Five minutes later, a perky brunette head shot up as she recognized the familiar parking lot they were pulling into. The girl seemed to immediately sober up as her eyes dried and muffled cries were silenced. Santana looked around with bright eyes, then brought her attention to Quinn.

"You. Are. The. Best!" She yelled as she prepared to shoot from the car once Quinn was officially parked.

"This was all the midget's idea." Quinn replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, thanks midget." With a wink in Rachel's direction, she exited the car. Failing to hear footsteps behind her, she called them out. "You losers coming or what?"

"Uh, no. You go ahead and get your sticks. We'll wait right here for you."

"That means get them to go, Lopez! I don't plan on waiting for your ass all night!"

"Yeah, yeah." Santana whispered as she continued walking. As she reached for the door, it jerked open to reveal a tall, handsome blonde. Apologizing, she stepped aside to allow his companions, also blondes, step out. The last person to exit the restaurant immediately caught her eye.

"Brittany, hi." She said shyly.

Taken aback, the blonde stumbled trying to find words. "Sa-Santana. I thought you weren't gonna be here."

"Wait..what?" Santana asked, confused by the statement made. Brittany's dear in headlights expression baffled her even further.

"Um, I mean, hi. I totally didn't expect to bump into you here."

"Oh, yeah. This is my favorite place to eat. Like, you don't even know!"

"Wow, guess you're really enthusiastic about Breadstix, huh?" Brittany teased causing Santana to blush.

"Only a little."

They held each others gaze until the sound of a throat clearing interrupted them. Puzzled, Brittany turned to face her parents who both had expecting looks on their faces.

"Ah. Mom, dad, this is Santana. She's the captain of the squad at McKinley." She announced proudly, beaming at the girl.

"It's nice to meat you Santana. I'm Susan and this is my husband Peter. Brittany has told us all about you and the squad. Color me impressed!" Her mother offered politely.

"Mommm!"

Laughing, Santana decided to comfort the girl. "Aww, it's ok Brittany. Thanks for the compliment Mrs. Pierce. I must say though, your daughter is the one who's been impressing everyone. It'd be so great to have her on the team this year." She offered with a smile, before glancing at the blushing girl to her right.

"Oh stop it. I do ok." Brittany mumbled.

"That's nice of you to say Santana, thank you." Peter chimed in; proud dad grin in tow. "Anyway, it was great meeting you, but we must get going." Turning back to his family, he continued. "I think I saw the parlor closed at 11."

"The one over on Monroe?" Santana asked.

"That's the one! We were heading over there for desert. Hey, tell you what? Since you seem to be alone, why don't you join us? I'm sure Brittany would enjoy your company." Susan asked. She was completely oblivious to her daughters panicked look.

Santana, however, saw it. "Thanks for the offer Mrs. Pierce, but my friends are actually waiting in the car for me. Just here to pick up some breadsticks." Catching Brittany's eye, she saw the disappointment etched in them. "Actually, maybe they'd like to head there too. This was a detour after all. I'll go ask them!"

Santana took off towards Quinn and Rachel, only to return 5 minutes later with a solemn expression.

"I take it that's a no go?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, Quinn, my best friend, has to take Rachel home. It seems she has a curfew to adhere to. Sorry, maybe next time?"

Hearing that name again, Brittany jumped in with an idea of her own. She needed to know more about this girl. "Well, since they can't come, what if we dropped you off afterwards? I mean, if that's okay with you, Mom and dad?"

"Sure thing! So what do you say Santana?"

"That sounds good."

"Great! Of course, we need the green light from your parents as well. Precautions and all." Susan said.

"Sure! I'll just shoot my mom a text, then I'll go let my friends know they can go."

"Sweet!" Brittany exclaimed, resulting in three pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Brittany, do you wanna come say hi to Quinn?" Santana asked, sensing the girl needed an out.

"That sounds great...yeah. Be right back."

"K hun. We'll be in the car."

They walked side by side in silence until they were about halfway to their destination when Santana spoke.

"So, your parents seem nice."

"Yeah, about them. I'm sorry you got sucked into this mess! They hear the word captain and immediately want to impress you on my behalf. Ugh. Anyway, we can come up with a story or something if you totally don't wanna go."

Santana chuckled before replying. "Nah, it's cool. You should tell them that I'm already impressed enough by their daughter."

"Wow. Umm, thanks!"

Santana didn't acknowledge her. Instead, she mentally slapped and chastised herself. After exchanging shy smiles, the duo walked the last few feet to the Toyota and approached the driver's side window.

"Hey Brittany, how are you?"

"Good, thanks. How are you?"

"Pretty good. Totally dreading practice in the morning though. You would think I'd be used to it by now!" She joked.

Brittany scrunched up her face and groaned. "You mean it doesn't get better?" She questioned.

"Ha! Not a chance!" Santana piped in, her voice laced with venom.

"Yeah. Oh, by the way, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Brittany. She's one of the new recruits."

"Hello there!" Rachel's head popped up by Quinn's window right as Brittany leaned down, causing her to jump back in surprise right into to a laughing Santana. "As Quinn mentioned, I'm Rachel Berry. Current glee club captain, future Broadway star. Nice to meet you Brittany!"

Brittany's eyes were still wide in shock as she nodded and told Rachel it was nice to meet her as well. Still a little taken back by the hyper brunette, she stood silently next to Santana as she explained that she was going out with Brittany and would be driven home by her parents. A perfectly manicured eyebrow raise and a snide remark later, Quinn was driving away and the two girls made their way to the car.

"This might sound odd, but what's with those two. Are they...? Sorry for asking, but I just got that vibe from them"

"Not that I know of. I sure as hell tease them about it! But I think they're just in that honeymoon phase of their friendship at the moment. Like where you can't seem to get enough of someone and you just always want to be around them, you know?" Santana asked, staring at Brittany whose head was trained forward.

"Yeah, I do." Brittany's voice was a breathy whisper.


End file.
